Prepare to return to Stephen King’s cursed town of Derry as HBO unveils new details, including an October 26, 2025, premiere date and the chilling origins of Pennywise, promising a deeper dive into the horrors that shaped the iconic villain and his reign of terror.
The dark history of Derry, Maine, is set to unravel like never before with the highly anticipated prequel series, It: Welcome to Derry. After years of speculation and production delays, new details confirm that the series will premiere on October 26, 2025, on HBO and HBO Max, inviting fans to explore the terrifying genesis of the titular entity and the town it has haunted for millennia. This new expansion of Stephen King’s universe promises to be a comprehensive look at the origins that predate the beloved films.
The Creative Vision: Diving Deeper into King’s Mythology
Developed by director Andy Muschietti, his sister and longtime creative partner Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, Welcome to Derry is designed to complement the cinematic vision established in their highly successful films, It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019). The idea for the prequel sprang from Andy Muschietti’s desire to mine the “interludes” from King’s original 1986 novel, which detailed Mike Hanlon’s research into Derry’s dark past.
While the films adapted the main narrative, the limited runtime meant many historical insights into It’s presence were left on the cutting room floor. “The interludes were always on my mind,” Andy Muschietti shared, recognizing the potential for a deeper dive into “the origin of Pennywise” and how the creature came to be the iconic clown, particularly around events like the traveling circus in 1908. This concept, initially considered for another feature, evolved into a multi-season series, allowing for a broader canvas to explore these complex ideas, according to an exclusive report by Entertainment Weekly.
A Unique Backward Narrative: Tracing Pennywise’s Cycles of Terror
The series adopts an intriguing backward narrative structure across its planned trilogy. Season 1, comprising nine episodes with Andy Muschietti directing four, is set in 1962, 27 years before the events of It: Chapter One. This alignment with It’s 27-year cycle of emergence is crucial. Should the series prove successful, subsequent seasons will delve further into Derry’s past:
- Season 1: 1962 (focusing on the Black Spot incident)
- Season 2: 1935 (likely exploring the Bradley Gang massacre)
- Season 3: 1908 (potentially the Kitchener Ironworks explosion)
Jason Fuchs highlights that Derry itself is an entity, deeply intertwined with the shapeshifting creature. The series aims to explain the creature’s origins and motivations, providing a “different understanding of the creature, of the rules of the town, and what motivates It.”
The 1960s: A Backdrop of Fear and Social Upheaval
The 1962 setting for Season 1 is particularly poignant, reflecting a period of intense global and domestic fear. The Cuban Missile Crisis provides a tense political backdrop, while the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement highlights deep-seated societal issues. These real-world fears are ripe for It’s parasitic feeding, as the entity capitalizes on human anxieties.
A central location for this season is the Black Spot, a speakeasy established by Black Air Force servicemen from a nearby military base, offering refuge from the era’s pervasive racism. This haven tragically becomes the site of a horrific fire, ignited by the Maine Legion of White Decency, a violent white supremacist group. This event, detailed in King’s novel through Mike Hanlon’s father’s recollections, serves as the season’s “anchor,” as described by Barbara Muschietti, symbolizing a “terrible time in history.”
The Expanding Cast and Iconic Returns
The series boasts an impressive ensemble, with Jovan Adepo starring as Leroy Hanlon, Mike Hanlon’s grandfather, a Korean War veteran and Major in the U.S. Air Force. Adepo, alongside Taylour Paige as his wife Charlotte Hanlon—a social activist—bring a profound depth to the story. Other key cast members include:
- James Remar as General Shaw
- Chris Chalk as a younger, more morally ambiguous Dick Hallorann (of The Shining fame)
- Stephen Rider as Hank, who runs the local Derry movie theater
- Rudy Mancuso as Captain Paulie Russo, Leroy’s friend and colleague
- Kimberly Guerrero as Rose, a character representing Derry’s Native community and holding unique historical connections
In addition to these, Deadline previously reported a significant expansion of the recurring cast, including Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline, whose specific roles are currently under wraps.
Perhaps the most anticipated return is that of Bill Skarsgård, reprising his role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Despite earlier reports suggesting he would not return, recent on-set footage and executive producer confirmations affirm his involvement. The Muschiettis intend to build anticipation for Pennywise’s full reveal, likening it to the gradual appearance of the shark in Jaws, emphasizing the creature’s shapeshifting nature before its most recognizable form emerges.
Connecting the King Multiverse
Beyond Derry, the series offers tantalizing connections to the broader Stephen King multiverse. The inclusion of Dick Hallorann, a character central to The Shining, provides a direct link, exploring his earlier life and the development of his “shine” abilities before his time at the Overlook Hotel. While Castle Rock served as a direct King multiverse exploration, Welcome to Derry will subtly integrate elements, hinting at deeper lore.
Fans will also notice subtle nods to other King works, such as references to Shawshank Prison and Easter eggs related to Maturin the Turtle, the ancient godlike entity mentioned in It and The Dark Tower. Andy Muschietti confirms that while the first season maintains a human perspective, later seasons are intended to “open the door to that bigger, wider mythology to see the iceberg under the water and everything that is not perceivable by humans.”
Production Journey and Fan Anticipation
Production for Welcome to Derry began in Toronto and Port Hope in May 2023, but faced suspensions due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Filming resumed in June 2024, with cast members like Jovan Adepo praising Andy Muschietti’s “intensity and passion for filmmaking.” The series, initially envisioned as a Max Original, has since been designated an HBO Original, joining other high-profile projects. With Warner Bros. reportedly pleased with the first season’s outcome, there’s already strong interest in fast-tracking subsequent seasons to continue the backward exploration of Derry’s blood-soaked past. Fans eagerly await the premiere, anticipating a fresh and terrifying expansion of the It universe, digging into the roots of the horror that has haunted generations.
